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Step 1
Pick an online auction site where you want to sell items. One auction site that is well known is eBay.
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Step 2
Register an online account by first providing your contact information. Then you will be able to pick your member ID. By using your ID, the members will be able to access your profile, items for sale and storefront, if available.
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Step 3
Enter the keywords about the item in the online auction. Browse the categories if necessary to pick the best possible keywords describing the item being sold.
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Step 4
Take a picture of the auction item and download to your computer to a folder that is easily accessible.
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Step 5
Write up a description of item being sold in the auction. Include whether the item is brand-new or used, the item's size and anything that makes it unique. List its UPC or catalog number, if available.
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Step 6
Decide on a category for your item. Research items that are similar to the item in your auction to see how they are categorized. Pick the closest categories possible to the item in the auction.
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Step 7
Create a short title for the item and add the genre. Some examples of the different genres include: action, movies or home and garden.
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Step 8
Pick a price you want to sell the item for. Sell the item as a "Buy it Now," or start your item at a rock-bottom price and let bidders have control over the price.
Or, place a reserve on a product, which is a minimum price that must be met before the product can be sold. The advantage to setting a reserve is the seller sets the bid at its discretion. -
Step 9
Respond to any bidder emails promptly. Customer service can often be a factor to persuade someone to bid on an online auction. Be courteous and professional in your emails.
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Step 10
Give the feedback to buyers as soon as they pay for the product. Feedback increases the buyer's confidence and provides both the buyer and the seller with accountability.
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Step 11
Ship out the item promptly. In the same way it is important for buyers to pay for the product immediately after the auction ends, it is just as important for the shipper to ship out the product as soon as he has been paid.
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Step 12
Save yourself a trip to the post office by printing the labels at home, and schedule a free pickup. Labels can be printed with a standard printer and then taped on the package to be sent to the buyer. To print the labels, go to the auction site and go to your account. Online auction sites such as eBay offer the ability to go to "My eBay" and click on "Print Shipping Label." Select either UPS or USPS. Then enter the weight, verify all the shipping information and click "Print."
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Step 13
Choose to re-post the item if the auction ends and doesn't sell. Or you could choose to not re-post the item at all. How much money you want out of the auction will determine whether it is worth re-posting.
